ALBUM REVIEW: Jah Wobble & Bill Laswell – Realm of Spells

This earth-shattering sophomore collaboration sees these legendary bastions of the bass-bin return after an 18-year hiatus. As the needle hits the record, the first thing that gets you are the horns, drenched in reverb and evoking classic King Tubby, and then the groove hits, the bass spacious and creeping, guitars and keys swimming around the sound. Wobble and Laswell are floating in space, and they’re taking the listener with them.

Realm of Spells was recorded at Laswell’s iconic Orange Studio with a sterling cast of musicians. Drawing heavily on a number of genres – including dub, world and jazz – this is a record which evokes the crepuscular strangeness of classic 70’s Jamaican dubplates; Realm of Spells sounds cavernous from beginning to end.